People who bought this also bought...

Plato's Republic

More than 2,000 years later, Plato's Republic remains astonishingly relevant to our everyday lives. It poses one question after another that might well have been drawn from the headlines and debates of our nation's recent history: What sort of person should rule the state? Are all citizens equal before the law? Should everyone have equal access to health care? Plato's greater inquiry, however, was into the question of defining justice itself and the reasons why a person would choose a life aligned with that virtue.

The Other Side of History: Daily Life in the Ancient World

Look beyond the abstract dates and figures, kings and queens, and battles and wars that make up so many historical accounts. Over the course of 48 richly detailed lectures, Professor Garland covers the breadth and depth of human history from the perspective of the so-called ordinary people, from its earliest beginnings through the Middle Ages.

JL says:"Nearest thing to time travel available"

Publisher's Summary

A true story that rivals the travels of Burton or Stanley for excitement, and surpasses them in scientific achievements.

In 1849 Heinrich Barth joined a small British expedition into unexplored regions of Islamic North and Central Africa. One by one his companions died, but he carried on alone, eventually reaching the fabled city of gold, Timbuktu. His five-and-a-half-year, 10,000-mile adventure ranks among the greatest journeys in the annals of exploration, and his discoveries are considered indispensable by modern scholars of Africa.

Yet because of shifting politics, European preconceptions about Africa, and his own thorny personality, Barth has been almost forgotten. The general public has never heard of him, his epic journey, or his still-pertinent observations about Africa and Islam; and his monumental five-volume Travels and Discoveries in North and Central Africa is rare even in libraries. Though he made his journey for the British government, he has never had a biography in English. Barth and his achievements have fallen through a crack in history.

I would definitely recommend this audiobook as a fascinating account of a little known but very important explorer. The early stages with totally compelling and I had to tear myself away from it. But some of the later stages definitely dragged -- there is too much detail and the progressions from one kingdom to another start to get a bit repetitive. And the description of the stay in Timbuktu is definitely over-long. But overall I found it both enjoyable and highly educational -- both about Barth and about that part of Africa. The reading is excellent, in my view.

The Tuaregs don't come off very well in this fascinating book. Neither do the Fulanis. It's amazing to me that anyone survived the waring factions and the extreme conditions related in this story. The writing itself is a nice mix of historical fact and personal narrative. It's not to long, and it's quite engaging. I love Barth's against-the-grain perspective that Africa wasn't just a blank slate of a land full of unsophisticated heathens just needing European saviors! He clearly thought well of the peoples as complex intricate kingdoms/civilizations that he was just there to learn about. Unfortunately, he also had the task of negotiating trade relationships with the leaders, but it's almost as though that were an afterthought for him. The narrator is mostly wonderful, particularly at pronunciation of a wide variety of place and person names. But in a few places his voice got a little to strident for my preference. It wasn't enough to be distracting for too long, though.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Peggy

Washington, DC, United States

15/01/14

Overall

Performance

Story

"A journey without maps"

Is there anything you would change about this book?

The audio book outlining the travels of Henrich Barth would have been better with maps. If there were no maps in Kemper's book, then the fault is with the author; if there were maps and they were not offered in pdf format, then the fault is with audiobooks.

What was most disappointing about Steve Kemper’s story?

The most disappointing thing about Steve Kemper's story was being made acutely aware of the fighting in Central Africa. Tribal and religious violence, as described in Kemper's tale in the mid-nineteenth century is too much different from what we see on the evening news.

Which character – as performed by Ed Phillips – was your favorite?

Philips gave a clear performance throughout so all characters were clearly distinguishable.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Only if it were shot on location.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

George

dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine

01/11/13

Overall

Performance

Story

"Too much of one person"

This book is a well organised biography of a German scientist exploring Africa. But in my view author concentrates too much on the question of Barth's personality along with difficulties he had endured but there are almost no details of Barth's impressions of the countries he was in, mosly generalisations. This makes this book not an interesting one to people who would like to know more on the Africa of those times.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Allen

Plano, TX, United States

08/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"An unknown explorer"

A fascinating look into the life of a man who triumphed over so much opposition to explore the depths of Africa in a time when being a white, Christian would send a man to the grave. The story is well written and the narration and quality of recording is too-notch.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Damian

01/06/16

Overall

Performance

Story

"Imagine a 19th century explore with a pen holder and a calculator."

The author does an admirable job bringing to light a fairly unknown luminary of 19th century expiration; but falls victim to the plodding perseverance of his subject rather than enlivening what must have been the extraordinary personality and adventures. The narrative is dull and exact - apparently much like the works of Dr. Barth - and although interspersed with a few gems (The revelations of black on black atrocity and native slavery were both shocking and illuminating) he inevitably seeks the refuge of the worn out politically correct apologist to note that white Europe was just as bad if not worse. We all get it and do not need the lesson repeatedly hammered home. Although clearly a fan of his subject, the author leaves us with the image of a tedious scientist… And does his hero no small disservice by making the reader long for more more scintillating African accounts of Livingston and Sir Richard Burton.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

Report Inappropriate Content

If you find this review inappropriate and think it should be removed from our site, let us know. This report will be reviewed by Audible and we will take appropriate action.